Oceanic Competition
by IronMan Joey
Summary: One of Shakespeare's most famous plays was about two star-crossed lovers doomed by fate. Their love so strong, that it single-handedly took them to their own graves. However, this story about the chosen one and her greatest rival is ready to replace that dark tale with one of adventure, redemption and, if anything else, the ocean.


**Welcome Readers, to probably the only story that I might ACTUALLY finish! I know, right? Anyway, a week or so ago I finally watched Moana, and... it completely blew me away. A Disney movie moved by independence and friendship, as opposed to love and redemption, was something I enjoyed. One major thing I lived most, was Moana herself. On a personal level, her overall personae spoke to me, and I couldn't get her out of my head. In which case, in order to cope, I decided to write this story. It kills me to see that there aren't that many Moana x OC/Reader stories out there, so I decided to do my part and contribute.**

* * *

"Nearly 3 months ago, the world was on the brink of destruction. Darkness plagued the land, swallowing the life force of every island it could touch. This evil spread was caused 1000 years ahead, by the Demigod of the wind and sea, Maui himself. His desire to make mortals bask in his glory, drove him to steal the Heart of Te Fiti. This single choice, spiraled out into uncontrollable proportions, releasing monsters into the water, and summoning the greatest demon of all, Te Ka. Only recently, had the ocean finally found it's chosen savior; a girl from the island of Motunui, the future chieftain of the village-"

*Snooooooore*

"-the future chieftain of the village: Moana. The ocean had chosen her-"

*Snoooooooooooore*

"-chosen her, to sail across the sea, find Maui, and bring life back to the world. Of course, her journey came with a little bumps and bruises, but she still managed to save the world, and in the process, return her tribe to their voyaging-."

*SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE*

"WILL YOU STOP SNORING?!" the young woman shouted at the boulder-like shape of a sleeping man.

"Hey, why'd you wake me up? I was getting my only few minutes of sleep in before i had to wake up to babysit you again!" The large fellow retorted in annoyance.

"You were snoring through the whole story! The kids wanted to hear it and you ruined it!"

"Uh, hate to break to ya Moana, but you've told the same story the same way so many times, that you basically bore the kids to sleep now,"

"Well, my stories are way better than yours, Maui! Like you've you've got any interesting stories,"

The two people in question, were the dynamic duo who sailed the treacherous sea and returned light and life to the islands of Te Fiti. Moana: the young, bold, ambitious, and courageous teen who set off on her journey to save her island; Maui: the shapeshifting demigod of the wind and sea, who after 1000 years of exile, found Moana to help him return to his former glory. After they had restored the heart of Te Fiti, Moana was able to help her village start voyaging again, her wayfinding Mentor there to tag along. In the three months since then, Moana has discovered more than a dozen new islands, waiting to be settled. Some had more fauna or flora than the next. At the moment, Moana was in an old gazebo near the shore of the island of Motunui. This was where she'd tell stories to the children of the village, the same as her grandmother would in her past life.

"Ok, howabout we let the kids decide. Who wants to hear Chief Moana here talk about herself for another day or so?"

The children responded only in a light, soft snore.

"Alright," Maui accepted their input, and continued, "Now who wants to hear about the time i went to the depths of the earth to bring fire to the world?"

"Yeaah!" All at once the children awakened in delight.

"Alright, so, it starts out on a huge, tropical island, filled with monsters and creatures that would rip your eyes out-"

As Maui began his tale, Sina, Moana's mother, approached the circle and interjected, "There's no time for that, Maui, it's time for you kids to get some sleep!"

"Awwww," Maui and the children all responded in unison. Moana remained seated upon the floor as the children left to their homes. Sina looked at her in a sort of, cheerful disbelief.

"You too, young lady." She finally said, to which Moana looked up in a more realistic disbelief.

"What? But mom, i'm and adult! I can stay up!" She retorted in defiance.

"How are YOU, of all people an adult? You're only a teenager!" Maui returned just in time to hear the unbelievable response Moana had used.

"But i'm chief, so it counts," Moana objected in a snobby tone.

Sina chuckled at her daughter's reply, and spoke in her motherly tone, "Moana, being chief doesn't make you an adult. There is a great many things you have to do before you are,"

Moana was in full defiance of what she was being told, refusing to accept the truth. She replied, "Uhh, mom, i'm pretty sure leaving my island by myself, stopping the darkness that almost destroyed our island and getting the village to start voyaging again pretty much qualifies me as an adult,"

As Sina prepared to respond, Tui, former Chief of Motunui and father to Moana, entered the gazebo and joined in the conversation, "Moana, saving the world isn't a 'rite of passage', it was your destiny. You were chosen to save the world. However, there are still many things in everyday life that you still need to do if you want to be an adult,"

Moana turned her head sharply, like a child in time out, before returning her gaze with a smirk on her face, "Name one thing that i have to do to be an adult,"

"Well, to start, you have to be responsible for yourself and your own actions," Tui started the list.

"Done,"

Sina added, "You have to make the right choices that will have positive effects on your future,"

Moana chuckled in confidence, "This is too easy for me, so far you guys have just told me things i can already do or have done already! There ain't nothing you can tell me-"

"Oh really? Because i've got a pretty big one, but i'm not sure if you can handle it, curly," Maui had in a smirk of his own as he interrupted his apprentice.

"Please, i can handle anything. Let's see whatcha got!" Moana held her defiance close.

"Alright, here it is; in being an adult, there is one big thing that separates it from being a kid: you have to get married,"

"I'm sorry, what?" Moana was in complete shock at the answer Maui gave her. Her parents were less surprised, but still held a look of confusion.

"You heard me right, kid. Marriage."

"Getting married is not related to adulthood, right dad?"

Tui broke his confusion, and responded, "Actually, Maui is right. Marriage is one of the bigger parts of adulthood, Moana. And you aren't married yet,"

Moana started to feel like she was running out of options, so she spoke in a light tone, "Do i really need to get married? I mean, look at all the things I've done so far; I crossed the ocean on my own-"

"I was there with you, so no, you were not alone," Maui corrected his protege.

"-Fought an army of monsters-"

"We fought a giant crab, not so much an army,"

"-defeated a giant lava demon-"

"Alright, i'll give ya that one,"

"-And made it back home in one piece. With all that, why would marriage, of all things, make me an adult?" Moana finished her retaliation..

Sina was still chuckling at the things her daughter was saying, and responded with "Marriage comes with a whole new set of responsibilities, Moana. I mean, do you think your father and i had it easy when we got married?"

"Oh, believe me, the first month of our marriage was rough, to say the least,"

"Oh, come on! Being married couldn't have been that bad! I mean, i'm here because of it!"

"That's true, i think you were one of the better parts of our lives together,"

Maui saw the argument was getting off topic, so he spoke up, "Look kid, you took on the ocean and survived, and don't get me wrong, that's great, but knowing you, you'd only last a week in a serious marriage,"

"Hey!" Moana rebutted in anger.

Maui looked on with a blank stare, "Tell me i'm wrong,"

"Look, the point is i don't need a husband, my life is perfect as it is! Besides, wasn't it you dad, that told me life is better with what i have?"

Tui was surprised to hear his daughter use his advice against him, "Even then, you still never listened to me,"

"That's not what i, grrgh!" Moana growled in frustration. "I don't want to get married! It's pointless!"

"Something tells me that you're just picky when it comes to this relationship stuff," Maui questioned the teenage chief.

"It's not that i'm picky, it's just that if i was gonna get married, it can just be with someone i don't even know! It has to be someone who i know i can trust, live with, tolerate, and overall is just a great guy!"

"Sometimes that isn't the case, Moana. There are times where, for the better of others, you have to settle for someone, less than your standards." Maui replied, sympathizing with his student.

"I agree with Maui. In most situations, my daughter, there is no choice in marriage. It's one of the bigger responsibilities of not only being an adult, but being chief as well. Therefore, you can't consider yourself an adult if you don't get married," Tui said, finally settling the ultimatum.

"What? That's not fair! Mom?"

Sina was afraid of how to respond to her child, before an idea popped into her head. "Moana, don't listen to them. Although marriage is a big part of adulthood, there is something more important,"

Moana had a look that said 'i told you so', but responded, "Wait, what?"

"After marriage, there is but one thing i can think of that is much more… demanding than marriage-"

Moana swa exactly what her mom was about to say, and did not hesitate to interrupt her, "NO, NO, NO! I'll stop you right there!"

Maui let out a breath of relief, and spoke, "Thanks, i did not want to hear that! That's a conversation you guys should have in private!"

Moana let out a sigh, "What'll it take for me to be an adult to you guys?"

Tui felt his daughter's despair, and in an attempt to cheer her up, he said, "How about we make a deal, Moana; if you can find us someone who would be perfect for you to marry, then you can call yourself an adult, and if you can't, we'll find someone for you. Deal?"

Moana stood up, more frustrated than before, "Wait, either way i'm still getting married! That's not fair!"

Tui decided there was no other way than this wager, so he pressed on, "Your choice, child or adult,"

Moana let out a sigh of disgust, before accepting, "Fine, but i promise you there is no way i can lose this bet! I can't wait to be an adult!"

Maui was very disapproving of his apprentice's attitude towards adulthood. "Trust me kid, you'll wish you were a kid for longer,"

Sina, having been satisfied that the argument was settled, let out a long, contagious yawn. "Well, i'm tired. I'm off to bed dear. Goodnight!"

Tui followed his wife, turning back to his daughter, "See you tomorrow, Moana,"

"Goodnight, dad. Goodnight mom!" Moana sat down, with her head inbetween her hands, and sighed in disappointment.

Maui could sense the tension in the young chief, so he started, "Look kid, i understand that you're a teenager and you've got a fire of rebellion in ya, but in reality, was the bet worth it?"

Moana lifted her head to look at the demigod, "To be honest… no, not really,"

"Then why take it?"

Moana started to twirl her hair in her finger. "The moment called for something drastic, so i decided to just say yes,"

Maui chuckled, "You realize that there aren't that many people who meet your standards in the village, right?

Moana acknowledged this advice, and her head fell down in disappointment once again, "Yeah…"

"Was it still worth it?"

Moana started to feel more and more sad as she thought about her dilemma. "Not at all. Where am i going to find someone, not only outside of our village, but someone who i have something in common with?"

Maui placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, and spoke, "Well, i'm not sure if i'm allowed to help, but i can help you out with this; somewhere to the south… east, i think, there is an island that, if the legends are true, was the first island touched by Te Fiti's light. I heard that there are still some settlers there today. Maybe you should check it out,"

Moana shot up in excitement, but then her look of suspicion dawned her face. "Really? Wait… how do i know you're not just lying to me?"

"Hey, if you don't want me to help, then-" Maui shrugged as he turned to leave.

"No no! I do! Please, help me with this,"

Mau laughed at Moana, and said, "Alright, kid. I'll help you out tomorrow, if it makes you feel better, but that means you gotta get some sleep if you want to wake up on time!"Maui's yawn interrupted his sentence, quing him to sleep, "Alright, i'm gonna head to bed, chosen one. See ya in the morning"

Moana waved lightly as her mentor left the gazebo. "Goodnight, shapeshifter!"

As the demigod left, Moana looked out to the ocean, as she had been since she was able to walk. Her whole life, she never thought there would be more people outside the village of Motunui. Hopefully, she thought, Maui wasn't just playing with her emotions. As Moana looked on the horizon, her own heartsong rose from her body, and she began to sing.

"See the light where the sky meets the sea? It calls me! And no one knows how far it goes! If the wind of my sail on the sea stays behind me, one day i'll know, how far i'll go!"

* * *

"How is it possible, that i left you guys out here for two minutes, and you've already gone and done something idiotic," The voice of a strong young man spoke in disbelief.

"Hey man, could you please skip the taunting and help us,?!" A younger, more childlike voice retorted.

"I mean, i could, if it was anyone else who had screwed up in other situations, but it just boggles my mind how you three ALL got stuck under a small palm tree!" The young man's voice returned. Who are these guys? You may be asking. Well, the three stuck under the palm tree at the moment are the triplets, Ekahi, Elua, and Ekolu (one, two, and three in hawaiian), and the one who isn't stuck under the tree is Josro Milas, future chief of the island of Mua ke Ola.

"Josro! Just help us out, will ya?" Elua cried in desperation.

Josro laughed at his friends. "Alright, alright, but first i just want to know one thing; how?"

Ekahi snorted in annoyance, before responding, "Well, if it matters, we came out here, like we always do, and saw that there were fresh coconuts up on the palm tree!"

Ekolu struggled a bit, and continued more of the story, "We tried to climb up all together, and we almost made it to the top, but-"

"We made the mistake of letting Ekolu go first," Ekahi snapped a glare at his brother.

Ekolu began to apologize, "And again, i'm sorry if i'm a little top heavy,"

Elua began to speak in retaliation against his brother's lie. "Ekolu, every part of your body is heavy!"

Ekolu was taken back by his brother's insult, and shot back, "Hey, at least i don't try and starve myself to be thinner!"

"Josro, please just get us out of here!" Ekahi was more than willing to get away from his annoying brothers.

Josro kept smiling, and began to lift the tree. "Alright, just hold still, and see if you guys can help out too," To say that the triplets didn't try to help would be a lie, but in this case, it wouldn't really matter. After Josro lifted the tree and planted it back into place, Ekahi began to breathe in relief.

"Oh, thank you! I thought i was gonna be stuck with those morons for the rest of my life!"

"Hey! We're your brothers!" Ekolu shot at his older brother.

Elua joined in as well, "Yeah, don't talk about us like that!"

Ekahi looked at his siblings, a smirk on his face, "But shouldn't i be allowed to, because i'm the eldest sibling?"

Josro stopped the argument from going any further by interjecting, "Alright, now that you guys are out of that mess, how about we start our day and head out?" Jsro began to walk back from the shore towards the dense jungle, the triplets following behind him. Josro moved leaves and branches in his way, the triplets nearly mimicking his movements. Ekahi led the three of them, Elua in the back, and Ekolu standing in the middle.

Ekolu decided to break the silence, "Hey guys, i was wondering; you think they'll let us out on the water to kill some monsters?"

Elua snorted and replied, "Are you kidding? Like they'd ever let you on the boat, you'd sink it faster!"

Ekahi attempted to help his youngest brother, "And you'd be too weak to move anything, huh Elua?"

Elua, not expecting his oldest brother to ever pick a side, retaliated in embarrassment, "Hey, just because you and Josro are the only ones of us who are fit, doesn't mean we aren't!"

Ekolu even tried to roast his older brother, "Yeah, and besides Joseph, Josro is way stronger and muscular than you!"

Josro placed his hand over his heart in fake affection, "Thanks for the feedback, guys. I was wondering when someone would realize that Joseph could never be me, as hard as he may try. Now, does everyone remember what we are doing?"

Elua groaned in boredom, "Scouting the reef for any pirates or Kakamora, we've been doing this for 10 years, Josro!"

Josro looked at his friend in a questioning gaze, "I know, i'm just making sure you remember everything properly,"

Ekolu crossed his arms, "Josro, we do this everyday, i think you're just paranoid dude,"

Josro stopped at an overlooking cliff, and spoke, "It's not paranoia, it's clarification."

As the group continued their daily patrol, there were occasional sighs and groans from the triplets. Eventually, Ekolu spoke up, "Josro, to be honest, i don't really see the reason why we keep doing this,"

Josro, having been fed up with his friends clear signs of annoyance, spoke sternly, "Look, we are all that stands between whatever evil that ocean is hiding, and our families. If something appears on the horizon, it's up to us to see it coming, and put a stop to it. If we alone can't, then there are more than enough bloodthirsty pirates out there willing to crush some skulls."

Ekahi chuckled, "Yeah, it's a good thing that our village is made up of those types of people, because if not, i bet you would be the first to go down,"

Josro was confused, "What do you mean?"

"Josro, you're not exactly the fighting type. You know that, right?" Ekahi clarified his sudden laughter.

Josro responded, "Of course i do. I prefer solitude and exploration than leaving the island just to either be killed or bring back the head of a giant crab,"

Ekahi looked at his friend awkwardly, "Yeah, solitude and exploration, not adventuring,"

Josro looked at Ekahi with a puzzled face, "Is there a difference?"

Ekolu began to speak up, "Exploration, according to you, only applies to the island, but adventuring applies to actually LEAVING the island and going out past our reef,"

Josro shrugged in acceptance, "Oh, well in that case, i guess i'm not an adventurer,"

Ekahi looked at his friend with a look of reconciliation, "You were, at one time,"

Elau smiled brightly, and joined Josro's side. "Yeah, I mean, back when we were kids, you'd always come out with us to swim in the shallows of the island, the three of us just running around while you use that handy spear you've got and actually fish properly!"

Ekolu spoke up as well, "Yeah! But ever since… that happened, you never want to even hang out anywhere NEAR the water!"

Ekahi kept tapping his friend's shoulder, shaking him around, "Yeah, man! Remember that? All the times we'd all just play around and life was easy for us?"

Josro sighed in disappointment, before replying, "I know guys, i miss it too. But it's not that i don't want to go back, it's that if i do, i put you guys in danger, along with everyone else here. Understand, that the ocean and i do not, in any way, get along well."

Ekolu scoffed, "Oh come on, that's a crazy statement, even for you! How is it that something that isn't even alive can hate YOU, specifically?"

Josro stood up and looked at his friends in realization,, "You guys really don't believe me, do you? Alright, follow me!"

Josro led his friends down towards the ocean in a matter of no time. Once he reached the shore, he looked to his friends, "Just sit back and watch the magic,"

Elua and Ekolu stood next to each other, "He's crazy!" Ekolu whispered.

Josro stood ankle deep in the water, before calling out, "Alright, ocean, here's an easy one; bring me a beautiful seashell!"

As the words left Josro's mouth, the air was silent, his friends awaiting the ocean's response. In a brief second, a wave washed up in the shore, a beautiful lime green and rose pink shell hit Josro's feet. In amazement, Josro lifted it to his face, "Wow, i was not expecting- Ahh!" He shouted in pain, as a small hermit crab pinched the tip of his nose. The triplets were snickering, trying their absolute best not to laugh. Josro looked at them, and sighed in defeat. "Go ahead, let it all out,"

The triplets all simultaneously began to laugh without stopping. Their faces turned red from the lack of breathing, as Josro began to feel annoyed.

Josro took the critter off his face and placed the shell back in the sea, "What did i tell you? The ocean doesn't like me at all, so why risk my life exploring it?"

Ekolu began to breathe normally, and replied, "Imagine all the things you'd find away from the island, Josro!"

Elua pulled a stick from the ground, pretending to use it as a sword, "Yeah! There's treasure hiding on distant islands, danger at every turn,"

Ekhi slid next to Josro, and spoke huskily, "Not to mention, beautiful women awaiting their saviors and pledging their lives to them,"

Ekahi chuckled, "Actually, we shouldn't mention that last one to Josro,"

Elua placed his stick-sword in the sand, and looked at his brother in confusion, "Why?"

Ekahi got the joke, and finished the punchline, "Because, while there are many fishes in the sea, Josro ain't a very good fisher!"

"OOOOOHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Josro facepalmed, but laughed shortly thereafter, "Real funny guys, it's not like i've heard that one before!"

Ekahi wrapped his arm around Josro's shoulder, "Oh, come on, buddy! We're just messing with ya!"

Ekolu walked next to Josro, "Besides, if you had a girlfriend, most likely that'd leave us all alone and bored,"

Josro escaped Ekahi's brotherly embrace, and looked at his three friends in shock, "You guys think that if i was in a relationship, i'd completely forget about the only friends i have on this island? You're all a bunch of lolo's,"

Ekahi covered hi mouth in fake shock, "Ooh, is it just me or did Josro just let a bit of his native language slip out?"

Josro began to laugh uncontrollably, before speaking properly, "Why do i hang out with you guys?"

"Whatchu mean why? You just said it was because we're your only friends!" Elua chuckled.

"Even if i wanted a girlfriend, chances are, there is no one out there for me."

Ekahi scoffed, "Oh come on! Of course there is!"

Josro looked at Ekahi with a plain face, "I can guarantee there is no girl who is my age, loves to exercise, is energetic, fun, but can be serious at times, very intelligent, intuitive, and adventurous all at the same time!"

Ekolu held his hand to his head, faking a headache, "Jeez, why are you so picky about girlfriends?"

Josro began to talk in his serious voice, as the triplets called it, "Because, Jesse, love is not something you give or take, it's something you earn. It's the feeling of knowing there is someone there for you, who trusts their lives to you, and is willing to lead beside you in pride and despair. It's not that i'm picky, it's that i'm... reserved, for lack of a better word."

"Bro, that was deep." Ekahi said.

A smile came to Elua's face, "Bet you still won't swim in it though!"

Josro let out a sigh, "Serves me right, trying to teach you guys a bit of philosophy, Ah, but that's why you guys are my friends, isn't it?"

"Don't worry buddy, you'll find your destined lover," Ekahi comforted his single friend.

"Hey, you guys wanna make a bet?" Ekolu spoke out.

Josro looked on with a concerned face, "On what?"

"On how long it'll take for you to get hitched!"

Josro turned with a scoff, "C'mon, guys! There's no way to bet on love! It's an uncontrollable thing." The group began to make their way back up the jungle floor.

"I bet Josro is gonna be eatin his words within the next few days," Ekahi whispered to his brothers, Jsro far ahead.

"You think he'll find someone in that time? Pfft, what are the chances of that happening?" Ekahi laughed at his brother's theory.

* * *

 **So, how was that? I reread my other draft, and decided to revise it and her it is. I feel much more confident in this version. Thank you all, and I will return with a new entry, but until then, this is IronMan Josro, signing off!**


End file.
